The Project
Birmingham City Council (BCC) is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974.
BCC appointed Pennington Choices to undertake asbestos management surveys on the communal areas of 1227 low-rise blocks to update their records and ensure compliance with The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR2012).
BCC require the asbestos surveys to be completed by September 2024 at the latest in time for an audit, with a goal of having all surveys completed by July 2024. Given the tight timeframe, they have enlisted our assistance alongside their internal team to meet their goal of July 2024. With our support, the surveys will be finished by the end of June 2024, ensuring they are well-prepared for the audit.
Each surveyor can typically complete eight to ten surveys per day, with our wider team turning the full report around in less than ten working days for the client. To enhance efficiency and share the workload, we have appointed three surveyors each day for this project.
Our Approach
Prior to project initiation, we held a mobilisation meeting and created a mobilisation log. We also conducted pilot surveys on four buildings. To ensure a flexible approach and address any issues promptly, we are holding weekly progress meetings to review and adapt the programme as needed.
Our asbestos surveyors are all P402 qualified with at least six months of experience. They also have IOSH working safely training, CSCS cards, and are ladder trained.
Our surveyors use The Electronic Asbestos Management System (TEAMS) on their handheld tablets to collect all survey data onsite/in real time. TEAMS is an integrated digital system that allows us to perform all asbestos tasks in one end-to-end process, from initial inquiry to quotations, job scheduling, data collection, report production, and invoicing. All information inputted into TEAMS is fully auditable/transparent.
TEAMS records all the survey information (including photos) and transfers it directly from site to our Quality Assurance (QA) team. Our QA team then validate the information gathered and use it to write up the final reports. We have provided BCC with access to TEAMS which allows the client to access reports and monitor the entire programme, in real time, 24/7, and free of charge. TEAMS provides BCC with visibility of all scheduled surveys as well as instant access to all survey reports and bulk sample analysis. From the surveys, TEAMS autogenerates building specific asbestos management plans which are attached to their reports.
BCC is pleased with the portal, as it allows them to access and view completed surveys, check scheduled surveys, and identify buildings that were not accessible.
Our use of UK Telematics vehicle tracking technology also ensures we receive real-time updates on the surveyors' locations.
All survey appointments are booked by our planning, scheduling and dispatch (PSD) team who ensure that effective communication channels are maintained between residents and our surveyors.
The Challenge
A challenge has arisen within BCC’s blocks, as the communal areas often lack their own Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs). As a result, the blocks must be divided into separate buildings, each with its own UPRN, so that surveys can be accurately recorded. To address this issue, we are maintaining communication with the client and have established a programme to create UPRNs for each individual building. We have achieved this through documenting any building/block on-site that does not have a UPRN and feeding this back to our PSD team to create a new building record for each of the sites. We then created a specialised programme to revisit these sites once the correct UPRN’s have been assigned.
Another challenge is posed by access issues when conducting surveys. Without universal keys, all rooms, including plant rooms and electric cupboards, require a separate key, leading to difficulties in gaining access. To manage this, we have created a no-access list, detailing the exact reasons for not being able to gain access and a record of areas we could not enter, noting which locations need to be revisited. We have then worked with the client to re-attend all of these areas in order for access to be gained. Our team is experienced in handling these challenges and has developed effective practices to overcome them. Additionally, we share tips and insights with our fire safety team, who have encountered the same challenge with this client.
Conducting 1227 surveys in a short period is a significant challenge. However, our team is equipped to handle this workload efficiently and is committed to completing all surveys well before the deadline. We are able to achieve this through our flexible working practices which are demonstrated by appointing additional surveyors to this contract, quickly bringing them up to speed though project specific toolbox talks, and maximising efficiency through dynamic appointment scheduling. This approach allows us to undertake surveys efficiently and maximise overall productivity.
Our Achievement
We established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to complete each survey within ten working days from site visit to final report, and we are adhering to this standard.
As of 1st June 2024, we have completed 952 of the 1227 surveys instructed. The 275 remaining are in the second phase of attendance, either through a no access appointment or the need for a UPRN to be assigned to the block. This means that we have successfully attended all of the blocks instructed, completing 78% of surveys on the first appointment, with a view to completing the project before the end of June 2024.
Over the last three months, we have developed a strong working relationship with BCC, having conducted both fire risk assessments and asbestos surveys for them and we look forward to working with them in the future.
